FARMINGTON – Having secured the Democratic nomination, District Attorney Andrew S. Robinson has announced his candidacy for reelection to his second four-year term as DA for Maine Prosecutorial District 3, which consists of Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.
Robinson will run against Seth Carey of Auburn, who won the contested Republican primary.
After joining the DA’s office in 1999, Robinson served as an assistant district attorney for 12 years and deputy district attorney for 2 years. He was elected to his current term in November 2014. As District Attorney, he supervises 13 prosecutors (some specializing in domestic violence, sex offenses and OUI cases) and 22 support staff across the three counties.
Maine’s district attorneys are responsible for prosecuting all crimes except murder and some special tax and fraud cases. Additionally, the DAs handle civil violations including traffic offenses, juvenile cases, probation violations and criminal appeals to the Maine Supreme Court. District 3 prosecutors attend court in Lewiston, Auburn, South Paris, Rumford, Bridgton and Farmington.
“I am very proud of the work our office has done since becoming District Attorney,” Robinson said. “We strive to ensure that victims receive justice and criminals are held accountable. Over the past 3 years my office has prosecuted over 24,000 cases. We have removed dangerous people from the street, crime rates have declined in all 3 counties, and we have secured over 1.2 million dollars in restitution and supervision fees. This money goes directly to victims and the counties where the crimes occurred,” he added.
In addition to the Maine State Police and three county sheriff’s departments, Robinson’s office prosecutes cases for 16 municipal departments, as well as the Maine Warden Service, Maine Forest Service, Fire Marshall, Probation and Parole, Department of Labor (unemployment fraud cases), Department of Motor Vehicles and the Boston & Maine Railroad Police Department.
The District 3 Chief’s Association, with representatives from all municipal police departments, the three Sheriff’s departments, and the State Police, has endorsed Robinson’s 2018 candidacy.
“I am honored by this endorsement,” Robinson said. “We have worked hard to streamline the exchange of information between the DA’s Office and law enforcement agencies. When prosecutors and police officers are working closely together, everybody benefits and our communities are safer.”
As with all law enforcement agencies, one of the biggest challenges facing Robinson is the opioid crisis. “My office works closely with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure drug traffickers are held accountable. I have attended community forums in all three counties and met with people whose lives have been tragically affected by the devastation of addiction. I am part of the Western Maine Addiction Recovery Initiative and have participated in the annual recovery rally for the past two years. I personally serve as our office’s representative for the Adult Drug Treatment Court based in the Androscoggin County Superior Court. Finding an answer is not easy, but we work hard every day to be a part of the solution.” said Robinson.
Robinson currently serves as a member of the Financial Abuse Specialist Team for the Elderly, the Criminal Rules Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee On the Rules of Professional Conduct, and the Prosecutorial Technology Team. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Western Maine Community Action, the Maine Prosecutors Association, and the Farmington Public Library.
Robinson is a graduate of the University of Maine and the University of Maine School of Law and resides in Farmington with his wife of 26 years, Yvette, and their three children.
“I want to thank the people of District 3 for having elected me. It has been an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously. I have served as a prosecutor for our three counties for the past 19 years and I always look forward to coming to work and tackling the challenges we deal with every day.”
DA Robinson has proven himself as an honest and fair prosecutor and is highly regarded by victims, law enforcement and the judicial branch. A vote for this candidate reinforces honesty and fairness for all citizens of the three counties.
In 2016, I learned to “never say never.” Hoping his opponent goes the way of Roy Moore. Why would the GOP nominate a suspended lawyer? The guy can’t even practice law and you want him to be the prosecutor for our county??
We could not have a more worthy professional in this most important position.
He is a great District Attorney and hopefully will be afforded a well deserved second term!
Go Andy !!
Extremely pleased Mr. Robinson is seeking re-election. For many years I have experienced him to be a man of integrity, honesty and intelligence. He is dedicated to the position and consistently advocates for victims of crime and for law enforcement. I cannot think of anyone more worthy and our communities are lucky to have him. He most certainly has my vote.
Good luck Mr.Robinson….whether or not we sit on the same side of the table. I must say I respect that man.
Peter:
From REPORT OF FINDINGS AND ORDER OF PANEL C OF THE GRIEVANCE COMMISSION 2016
“Judge Carlson, Judge Oram, Justice Walker and Magistrate Woodman described Attorney Carey in proceedings before them as a lawyer who knows where he wants to go, but whose approach is to substitute volume and bombast for skill. Each of them testified that the Respondent was either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with criminal and civil procedure and with the rules of evidence. While Attorney Carey came to court prepared with notes and outlines, he was unable to deviate from his prepared script when testimony did not go as expected. They recounted cases where opposing counsel’s objections were sustained but Attorney Carey persisted in the same line of questioning either because he did not understand the court’s ruling or because he did not know what else to do. Hearings that should have taken one hour would drag on for two or more while the Respondent groped for direction. Especially in family law matters, Attorney Carey’s paperwork was often incomplete or erroneous. Justice Walker, recalling his time on the District Court bench, observed that there “was a fair piece of real estate between the lower end of competence and [Attorney Carey’s] performance,” and that he was “close to the bottom of the barrel” of all lawyers he had seen”
That’s before Mr. Carey was suspended from practicing law in April for reported sexual abuse of a former client.
The fact that the local GOP found this man as their best available candidate for DA is indicative of the decline of competence in the GOP as a whole.
Build. That. Wall. indeed. A wall of votes for Andy Robinson
It is possible that some of the people who voted for Seth Carey were confused — perhaps even deliberately confused? There are two (now three) Tom Carey’s in the Franklin-Oxford County areas — and all of them are lawyers.
Tom Carey #1 is Seth Carey’s father who practices law in Rumford.
Tom Carey #2 is a competent, ethical and decent young attorney who practices law in Farmington. He is no relation to Tom Carey #1 or Tom Carey #3 and would not make a bad DA.
Tom Carey #3 is Seth T. Carey who presented himself to the voters as S. Thomas Carey on the ballot and on his campaign signs. The name Seth Carey has been in the newspapers of Rumford and Farmington for various legal problems for close to a decade. The name S. Thomas Carey has not. Seth T. Carey’s suspensions and problems with the ethics committee are well-documented on the website of the Maine Board of Bar Overseers. Search the website for S. Thomas Carey and the name comes up clean.
I practiced law in Franklin County for 23 years — and I was confused when I first started seeing all those S. Thomas Carey signs along the roadside. Who is S. Thomas Carey? I know a Seth T. Carey who is suspended from practicing law. I know two Tom Carey’s who are lawyers — but S. Thomas Carey? Is Tom Carey #2 running aginst Robinson as a Republican? Is Tom Carey #1 from Rumford running? It took me a couple days of asking around to finally figure out that S. Thomas Carey was Seth.
How many voters missed the ‘S’ and thought they were voting for Tom Carey #2 or even Tom Carey #1?
How many voters did not do their homework and voted for anything with an R after its name?
How many voters who voted for S. Thomas Carey would not have voted for him if they knew S. Thomas was Seth?
Why did Seth choose to run as S. Thomas instead of as himself?
Why did the Republican Party allow its own voters to be snookered into voting for someone like this? It should have done its homework and told its own voters what the real deal is with this candidate.
Now you’re stuck with him and now you know. Next time, do your homework before you cast your vote.
Thanks Attorney Chassie as it was painful to read the uniformed responses and confused.
Looks like I as a Republican will be voting across the aisle. Never say never
Congratulations on successful steps towards re-election Andy! I know you have the determination and ability to do a great job in the long run. Determined endurance counts!
Thank you for your past service, and I will vote for you again.
Current District Attorney Andrew Robinson has done a great job these last 4 years (with many more years as Assistant and Deputy DA). He’s got my vote. I see no reason to change, especially when the opposition has his license to practice law suspended! Yeah, for those republicans who voted for “S. Thomas Carey” – that is NOT “Thomas Carey”, as you may have been led to believe. That alone should disqualify this person from the race. Me, I would be angry if my candidate used confusing signs to get votes!
The weak pathetic American society needs less ” law ” enforcement and more justice. Anyone who swears an oath to protect the constitution and then goes into “law” enforcement cannot possibly be an honorable individual. “How many laws directly violate our” GOD GIVEN rights?? Do your own work, don’t delegate away your rights to some megalomaniac lap dogs of judges and slaves to the dollar like these jokers.America won’t be great again untill we have strong great Americans!!!
Paul: Your comment reminds me something I saw tattooed on the crack-head who shot Deputy Cole for no reason at all. I’m glad he in the system now.
Current District Attorney Andrew Robinson has committed himself to our community justice system and has my full support.
I won fair and square and the establishment and elitists can’t stand it! Barbara is a LINO- Lawyer in Name Only. Never seen her once in court in the past 12 years. She’s an ultra liberal elitist politician democrat who probably just got her law degree so she could lecture us common folk. So who’s filling who now Counselor?